Nigeria’s new identity law could complicate the passage of the long-awaited Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill as both laws set rules around digital identity and electronic signatures.
The NIMC Act 2026, which replaced the 2007 law, makes the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Nigeria’s Root Certification Authority.
The role puts NIMC at the centre of the country’s digital trust system, giving it responsibility for root digital certificates, electronic identity verification and digital signatures linked to the National Identification Number (NIN).
However, the proposed National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill gives the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) powers to regulate and accredit electronic signature certification authorities.
The overlap could create uncertainty over which agency will have the final responsibility for key parts of Nigeria’s digital signature system.
Both laws seek to support digital identity, electronic signatures and paperless government services, but businesses, banks and government agencies could face competing requirements if the two frameworks are not aligned.
A NITDA spokesperson said the NIMC Act is already in force and that the National Assembly would need to consider it alongside any new legislation.
“The Act is operational at the moment; it has been passed by the President, and that is the law we have now.
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“The other one, or any other bill coming up, the National Assembly will have to take a closer look and do the needful.”
Digital rights expert Adeboye Adegoke said lawmakers should have identified any conflict before the new law was passed.
“Ideally, this should have been spotted by the legal drafting unit at the National Assembly.
“Bills are supposed to be reviewed to avoid clashes with existing laws. It’s not normal for new laws to conflict or duplicate provisions in existing laws without first amending the existing one,” Adegoke said.
The Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill has been in the works for more than two years and seeks to give electronic signatures legal recognition while supporting paperless government services.
With the NIMC Act now in force, lawmakers may have to review the bill to clarify the respective roles of NIMC and NITDA before it advances further.
The outcome could determine how Nigeria regulates digital signatures as more government services, banking transactions and business processes move online.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
